US swimmer Ryan Lochte has been suspended for 10 months following the gas station scandal at the Rio 2016 Olympics that became a huge embarrassment.
The punishment was handed down by the US Olympic Committee, International Olympic Committee and USA Swimming, USA Today reports.
Lochte, 32, lost four of his major sponsors in the wake of the scandal after admitting he “over-exaggerated” his claim about being robbed and held at gunpoint with three other US swimmers – Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger.
The Brazilian authorities had discovered, on investigation, that the foursome destroyed a bathroom at a petrol station and urinated in public. They recommended that he (Lochte) be charged with filing a false report.
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| Lochte pictured partying in Rio before the incident |
The Unites States Olympic Committee had to tender an official apology to organizers of the competition in the wake of the scandalous revelation.
USA Today further reports that the three other swimmers have also been hit with suspensions, although for shorter lengths of time.
As a result of this ban, the swimming superstar, who has been recruited to the cast of ABC television’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’, will sit out the championship meet in Budapest in 2017.
The 12-time Olympic medalist said he felt the scandal surrounding his Rio exploits had been blown “way out of proportion”, claiming he was the actual victim.
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